Green tea is derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and contains antioxidants called polyphenols. The main type of polyphenolic compound found in green tea pills is catechins, which research has shown to be effective at increasing fat loss. Consult your health care provider before taking any supplements.
Energy Expenditure
In research reported in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the University of Geneva explored the impact of green tea extract on fat loss in healthy men. They discovered that subjects consuming green tea extract on three separate occasions experienced significant increases in energy expenditure and fat oxidation, or fat burning, compared to subjects receiving a placebo.
Exercise
Scientists from Kao Corporation in Japan investigated the impact of green tea extract and exercise on the development of obesity in mice. At the end of the study, which was published in the November 2005 issue of the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal, researchers observed that mice following a high fat diet with green tea extract and exercise for four weeks experienced significant reductions in body fat, especially around the stomach, compared to those adhering to a high fat diet without exercise and green tea extract.
Fat Oxidation
In findings published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom studied the effects of green tea extract on fat oxidation and glucose tolerance in healthy humans. Participants performed 30 minutes of cycling exercise while consuming three capsules of green tea extract containing 890 mg of polyphenols or a placebo. At the end of the exercise session, the green tea extract group experienced a greater increase in fat oxidation compared to those ingesting a placebo.
Fat Utilization
Researchers from Kao Corporation examined the effects of green tea extract on exercise endurance in mice. They reported in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative that mice consuming green tea extract at the equivalent of four cups of green tea for ten weeks increased the utilization of fat during exercise. This in turn improved exercise performance.
References
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Efficacy of a Green Tea Extract in Catecin Polypenols and Caffeine in Increasing 24-h Energy Expenditure and Fat Oxidation in Humans; A.G. Dulloo et al.; December 1999
- Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise: Exercise and Green Tea Extract Stimulate Fat Oxidation and Prevent Obesity in Mice; A. Shimotoyodome et al.; November 2005
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Green Tea Extract Ingestion, Fat Oxidation, and Glucose Tolerance in Healthy Humans; M.C. Venables et al.; March 2008
- Science Daily: Green Tea Extract Boosts Exercise Endurance 8-24%, Utilizing Fat As Energy Source
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